TWI612785B - Rendezvous flow control apparatus, method, and computer program product thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An aggregate flow control device, method and computer program product thereof. The aggregate flow control device includes a plurality of transceiver interfaces and a processing unit. Each of the transceiver interfaces is individually assigned a first assigned bandwidth. The transceivers transmit a first data stream of a network service to a network device in the first phase with the first allocated bandwidth. The transceiver interfaces receive a feedback message from the network device. The processing unit specifies a second allocation bandwidth of each of the transceiver interfaces according to the feedback information. The transceivers further transmit a second data stream of the first network service to the network device in the second phase with the second allocated bandwidth.

Description

Aggregation flow control device, method and computer program product thereof 【0001】

The present invention relates to a polymerization flow control device, method and computer program product thereof; more particularly, the present invention relates to an aggregate flow control device, method and computer for updating distribution bandwidth of multiple transceiver interfaces by using feedback information Program product.

【0002】

With the development of network technology, there are various network systems of different types and sizes, and small-scale heterogeneous network systems (such as home network systems) are one of the rapid developments in recent years. Small-scale heterogeneous network systems contain a limited number of network devices, but often include many different types of network devices (eg, set-top boxes, smart TVs, tablets, smart phones, digital video players, and Notebook computer). In addition, the network communication standards supported by the network devices are not identical (that is, the interface types of the network devices are not completely the same), and some of the network devices include multiple transceivers. interface. For example, in a small-scale heterogeneous network system, some network devices may have both a Power Line Communication (PLC) interface and a Wi-Fi interface, while some other network devices have an Ethernet Network interface and Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) interface. There are currently agreements for integrating these different interfaces (eg, IEEE 1905.1, IEEE 1905.1a, and ITU-T G.hn), and these protocols collect transmission information for the interface types of the various transceiver interfaces.

[0003]

As mentioned earlier, in a small heterogeneous network system, users can connect to different network communication standards through different network devices. The issue that has arisen is how to meet the user's needs for various network transmission states in a small-scale heterogeneous network system, such as how to make the quality of service (QoS) of network transmission meet the requirements. The level set by the person. This topic has been discussed in the conventional network system (ie, non-heterogeneous network system). For example, there are technologies such as Integrated Service and Differentiated Service for how to meet specific service quality assurance. However, this issue is still lacking in the field of small-scale heterogeneous network systems, mainly because of the diversity of network devices included in small-scale heterogeneous network systems and the protocols used in communication between network devices. It is also more diverse.

[0004]

In view of this, how to meet the user's demand for various network transmission states in a small-scale heterogeneous network system is still an urgent problem to be solved in the field.

[0005]

It is an object of the present invention to provide a Rendezvous flow control device for a heterogeneous network system. The aggregate flow control device includes a plurality of transceiver interfaces and a processing unit, wherein the processing unit is electrically connected to the transceiver interfaces. Each of the transceiver interfaces is individually assigned a first assigned bandwidth. The transceivers transmit a first data stream of a network service to a network device in the first phase with the first allocated bandwidth. The transceiver interfaces receive a feedback message from the network device. The processing unit specifies a second allocation bandwidth of each of the transceiver interfaces according to the feedback information. The transceivers further transmit a second data stream of the network service to the network device in the second phase with the second allocation bandwidth.

[0006]

Another object of the present invention is to provide an aggregate flow control method suitable for use in a first network device of a heterogeneous network system. The first network device includes a plurality of transceiver interfaces, and each of the transceiver interfaces is assigned a first allocated bandwidth. The aggregated flow control method includes the following steps: (a) transmitting, by the first and second stages, a first data stream of a network service to a second network device by the first and second allocated bandwidths, b) receiving, by the transceiver interfaces, a feedback information from the second network device, (c) specifying a second allocation bandwidth of each of the transceiver interfaces according to the feedback information, and (d) transmitting, by the transceiver interfaces The second phase transmits a second data stream of the network service to the second network device in the second allocated bandwidth.

【0007】

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a computer program product. After loading the computer program product through the first network device of one of the heterogeneous network systems, the first electronic device executes a plurality of program instructions included in the computer program product to perform an aggregate flow control method. The first network device includes a plurality of transceiver interfaces, and each of the transceiver interfaces is assigned a first allocated bandwidth. The aggregated flow control method includes the following steps: (a) transmitting, by the first and second stages, a first data stream of a network service to a second network device by the first and second allocated bandwidths, b) receiving, by the transceiver interfaces, a feedback information from the second network device, (c) specifying a second allocation bandwidth of each of the transceiver interfaces according to the feedback information, and (d) transmitting, by the transceiver interfaces The second phase transmits a second data stream of the network service to the second network device in the second allocated bandwidth.

[0008]

According to the aggregate flow control mechanism provided by the present invention, a network device (or an aggregate flow control device) transmits a data stream through a plurality of transceiver interfaces included therein. In summary, each of the transceiver interfaces of the network device is each assigned an allocated bandwidth, and each of the transceiver interfaces transmits the data stream to be transmitted in its allocated bandwidth. The network device updates the allocated bandwidth used by each of the transceiver interfaces according to various feedback information, and then transmits the untransmitted data stream with the updated allocated bandwidth. When updating the allocated bandwidth used by each of the transceiver interfaces, the network device may consider various factors (for example, the difference between the current transmission level and the target transmission level, the weight value of each transceiver interface, etc.) and then determine the updated allocation frequency. width. In this way, the aggregated flow control mechanism provided by the present invention can provide network services in a manner more in line with user requirements, and the network of the heterogeneous network system can be applied more efficiently.

【0009】

The detailed description of the present invention and the preferred embodiments of the present invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings.

[0050]

1‧‧‧Heterogeneous network system

11, 13, 15‧‧‧ Electronic equipment

12,14,16‧‧‧Aggregate flow control device

17‧‧‧Internet

121‧‧‧Processing unit

123, 125, 127‧‧‧ transceiver interface

102, 104, 106, 108, 110‧‧‧ data flow

102a, 102b‧‧‧Sub-data stream

104a, 104b‧‧‧Substream

106a, 106b‧‧‧Sub-data stream

108a, 108b‧‧‧Substream

110a, 110b‧‧‧Substream

S31~S39‧‧‧Steps

S371~S377‧‧‧Steps

[0010]

Figure 1A is a schematic diagram showing the topology of the heterogeneous network system 1;

[0011]

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the aggregate flow control device 12;

[0012]

Figure 1C depicts the allocated bandwidth used by the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 at different stages;

[0013]

Figure 2 depicts the allocated bandwidth used by the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 at different stages;

[0014]

3A is a flow chart depicting an aggregate flow control method of a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0015]

Figure 3B depicts a detailed flow chart of step S37.

[0016]

The Rendezvous flow control device, method and computer program product thereof provided by the present invention will be explained below through embodiments. However, the implementations are not intended to limit the invention to any environment, application or manner as described in the embodiments. Therefore, the description of the embodiments is merely illustrative of the invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It should be understood that in the following embodiments and figures, elements that are not directly related to the present invention have been omitted and are not shown.

[0017]

A first embodiment of the present invention is a heterogeneous network system 1 (e.g., a home network), and a schematic diagram of the topology is depicted in Figure 1A. The heterogeneous network system 1 comprises three electronic devices 11, 13, 15 and three Rendezvous flow control devices 12, 14, 16 in which the aggregate flow control device 14 is connected to the Internet 17. It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the number of electronic devices included in a heterogeneous network system and the number of aggregated flow control devices included therein.

[0018]

The electronic devices 11, 13, 15 are each an electronic device that requires network transmission, such as a desktop computer, a television, and a notebook computer. The aggregated flow control devices 12, 14, 16 can each be a bridge, a router, a gateway, or other device having a forwarding network packet function. The electronic devices 11, 13, 15 and the aggregated flow control devices 12, 14, 16 can each be considered as one of the network devices in the heterogeneous network system 1. In Figure 1A, two network devices connected in a straight line (including solid lines and different types of solid lines and dashed lines) are adjacent network devices, and different thickness and different types of lines represent different communication standards. Communication link (communication link).

[0019]

In the present embodiment, the aggregated flow rate control devices 12, 14, 16 each have a plurality of transceiver interfaces, and each transceiver mask has an interface type. For example, each interface type may be Power Line Communication (PLC), Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) or other communication capable interface type. It should be noted that the present invention does not limit that each aggregated flow control device in a heterogeneous network system needs to have a plurality of transceiver interfaces, as long as at least one aggregated flow control device includes a plurality of transceiver interfaces. The technique of the present invention is applied to the polymerization flow control device.

[0020]

In the present embodiment, the aggregated flow control devices 12, 14, and 16 can perform the same operation to allocate the bandwidth, thereby controlling the network transmission traffic. Therefore, only how the aggregate flow control device 12 allocates the bandwidth will be described below. Those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains should understand how the aggregated flow control devices 14, 16 operate to allocate bandwidth and thereby control network transmission traffic in accordance with the following description of the aggregated flow control device 12.

[0021]

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of the aggregate flow control device 12 of the first embodiment. The aggregation flow control device 12 includes a processing unit 121 and three transceiver interfaces 123, 125, and 127, wherein the processing unit 121 is electrically connected to the transceiver interfaces 123, 125, and 127. The transceiver interfaces 123, 125 are connected to the aggregate flow control device 14, and the transceiver interface 127 is connected to the electronic device 11. Processing unit 121 can be any of a variety of processors, central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors, or other computing devices known to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. The transceiver interfaces 123, 125, 127 can be any interface that can receive and transmit control signals or/and data in a wired or wireless manner. For example, the transceiver interfaces 123, 125, and 127 can respectively be a power line communication interface, an Ethernet interface, and a Wi-Fi interface.

[0022]

In the present embodiment, the aggregated flow control device 12 needs to transmit a plurality of data streams 102, 104, 106, 108, 110 included in a network service (for example, a multimedia video streaming service) to the aggregated flow control device 14. For example, this may occur when the electronic device 11 is required to provide the network service to the electronic device 13 through the aggregated flow control devices 12, 14. In addition, in the present embodiment, the aggregated flow control device 12 needs to transmit the data streams 102, 104, 106, 108, 110 at a target transmission level, wherein the target transmission level can be preset, set by the user, or otherwise set. . This target transmission level can be related to the transmission rate of this network service, Quality of Service (QoS) or/and other transmission information.

[0023]

If the network service is from the electronic device 11, the transceiver interface 127 of the aggregated flow control device 12 sequentially receives the data streams 102, 104, 106, 108, 110 from the electronic device 11. The transceiver interfaces 123, 125 of the aggregated flow control device 12 sequentially transmit the data streams 102, 104, 106, 108, 110 to the aggregated flow control device 14. The aggregate flow control device 12 receives the feedback information (not shown) from the aggregate flow control device 14 during the process of transmitting the data streams 102, 104, 106, 108, 110 to the aggregate flow control device 14. The aggregated flow control device 12 updates the allocated bandwidth used by the transceiver interfaces 123 and 125 according to the feedback information, and transmits the untransmitted data stream with the updated allocated bandwidth. In this embodiment, the feedback information may include at least one sub-feedback information, and each of the at least one sub-feedback information may be subjective feedback information or objective feedback information. For example, the subjective feedback information may include user rating information, and the objective feedback information may include an actual bandwidth consumption information, a Packet Loss Rate (PLR) or/and a service quality. Quality of Service (QoS) parameters. In the present embodiment, the processing unit 121 of the aggregated flow control device 12 can determine a current transmission level (not shown) based on the feedback information. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, each of the at least one sub-feedback information may correspond to a weight value. In this case, the processing unit 121 may determine, according to the at least one sub-feedback information and the corresponding weight value. Current transmission level. Thereafter, the processing unit 121 determines the allocated bandwidth used by the transmitting and receiving interfaces 123 and 125 in the next stage according to the current transmission level and the target transmission level.

[0024]

A specific example will be explained. It is assumed that the present embodiment divides the transmission level into a first level, a second level, and a third level, wherein the first level represents better than the average, the second level represents the average, and the third level represents the average. In addition, it is assumed that the target transmission level required by the user of the electronic device 13 is the first level. It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the number of transmission levels, and other embodiments of the present invention do not necessarily require classification of transmission status.

[0025]

Please refer to FIG. 1C, which depicts the allocated bandwidth used by the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 at different stages (ie, the allocated bandwidth used when transmitting different data streams). First, in order to transmit the data stream 102, the processing unit 121 individually specifies the allocated bandwidth of the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 (for example, 10 Mbps and 10 Mbps, respectively). Next, the processing unit 121 then allocates the data stream 102 as the sub-data streams 102a, 102b for transmission through the transceiver interfaces 123, 125, respectively. Those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains should understand how the processing unit 121 performs the aforementioned assignments, and thus is not to be construed. Then, in a first stage, the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 transmit the data stream 102 to the aggregated flow control device 14 at a distribution bandwidth (i.e., the aforementioned 10 Mbps and 10 Mbps). Specifically, the transceiver interface 123 transmits the sub-stream 102a to the aggregated flow control device 14 at a distribution bandwidth (ie, the aforementioned 10 Mbps), and the transceiver interface 125 transmits the sub-data at a distribution bandwidth (ie, the aforementioned 10 Mbps). Stream 102b to polymerization flow control device 14.

[0026]

Then, the transceiver interfaces 123 and 125 receive feedback information from the aggregated flow control device 14, and the processing unit 121 specifies the allocated bandwidth used by the transceiver interfaces 123 and 125 in the next second stage according to the feedback information (ie, transmitting data). The allocation bandwidth used when stream 104). It is assumed that the processing unit 121 determines that the current transmission level is the third level (ie, below average) based on the feedback information. Since the current transmission level is worse than the target transmission level, the processing unit 121 increases the allocated bandwidth of the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 (for example, 15 Mbps and 20 Mbps, respectively). Next, processing unit 121 then distributes data stream 104 as sub-data streams 104a, 104b. In the second phase, the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 respectively transmit the sub-streams 104a, 104b to the aggregated flow control device 14 with the updated allocation bandwidth (eg, 15 Mbps and 20 Mbps, respectively).

[0027]

Since the aggregated flow control device 14 still needs to transmit other data streams (i.e., the data streams 106, 108, 110), the foregoing operations are repeated (i.e., again according to the feedback information, the designated transceiver interfaces 123, 125 are connected. The allocated bandwidth used in the down phase). The description is briefly continued with the example of Figure 1C. After transmitting the sub-data streams 104a, 104b, the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 receive another feedback information from the aggregated flow control device 14, and thereby determine that the current transmission level is a third level (ie, below average). Since the current transmission level is worse than the target transmission level, the processing unit 121 again increases the allocated bandwidth of the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 (for example, 18 Mbps and 27 Mbps, respectively). Next, processing unit 121 then distributes data stream 106 as sub-data streams 106a, 106b. The transceiver interfaces 123, 125 transmit the packets 106a, 106b to the aggregated flow control device 14 in the next stage with the updated allocation bandwidth (i.e., the aforementioned 18 Mbps and 27 Mbps). After transmitting the sub-data streams 106a, 106b, the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 receive another feedback information from the aggregated flow control device 14, and thereby determine that the current transmission level is a second level (ie, average). Since the current transmission level is worse than the target transmission level, the processing unit 121 again increases the allocated bandwidth of the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 (for example, 20 Mbps and 30 Mbps, respectively). Processing unit 121 then distributes data stream 108 as sub-data streams 108a, 108b. The transceiver interfaces 123, 125 transmit the sub-streams 108a, 108b to the aggregated flow control device 14 in the next stage with the updated allocation bandwidth (i.e., the aforementioned 20 Mbps and 30 Mbps). After transmitting the sub-data streams 108a, 108b, the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 receive another feedback information from the aggregated flow control device 14, and thereby determine that the current transmission level is the first level (ie, better than the average). Since the current transmission level is consistent with the target transmission level, the processing unit 121 does not change the allocated bandwidth of the transceiver interfaces 123 and 125. Next, processing unit 121 then distributes data stream 110 as sub-data streams 110a, 110b. The transceiver interfaces 123, 125 respectively transmit the sub-streams 110a, 110b to the aggregated flow control device 14 at the same allocation bandwidth (i.e., the aforementioned 20 Mbps and 30 Mbps).

[0028]

As previously stated, the present invention does not limit the number of transmission levels. Based on the above, those having ordinary knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains should understand how the aggregated flow control device provided by the present invention can adjust the allocated bandwidth according to the feedback information when the number of transmission levels is different. Not rumored. Furthermore, other embodiments of the present invention do not necessarily require classification of the transmission status and may not set the target transmission level. In these embodiments, the aggregate flow control device provided by the present invention can directly adjust the allocation bandwidth used when transmitting the data stream based only on feedback information (eg, compared to a threshold value).

[0029]

It should be noted that in other embodiments of the present invention, when the processing unit 121 specifies the allocation bandwidth used by the transmitting and receiving interfaces 123 and 125 in the next stage according to the feedback information, other factors may be considered together. Specifically, the processing unit 121 may enumerate a plurality of candidate allocation bandwidth combinations according to the current transmission level and the target transmission level, where each candidate allocation bandwidth combination includes multiple allocation bandwidths, and each allocation bandwidth corresponds to receiving and transmitting. One of the interfaces 123, 125. The processing unit 121 calculates an estimated bandwidth allocation total amount for each candidate allocation bandwidth combination. In addition, in some other implementation manners, the transceiver interfaces 123 and 125 can be individually matched to a weight value, and the processing unit 121 calculates the estimated bandwidth allocation of each candidate allocation bandwidth combination according to the weight values. Total amount. Then, the processing unit 121 determines the allocation bandwidth used by the transceiver interfaces 123 and 125 in the next stage according to the candidate allocation bandwidth combination corresponding to the smallest of the estimated bandwidth allocations.

[0030]

It should be noted that in other embodiments of the present invention, the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 can receive a plurality of other network devices (eg, the aggregate flow control devices 14, 16, and even further including the electronic devices 11, 13, 15). Bandwidth allocation record. Each of the bandwidth allocation records records an allocated bandwidth, and each of the allocated bandwidths corresponds to one of the transceiver interfaces 123, 125. The processing unit 121 specifies the allocated bandwidth used by each of the transceiver interfaces 123 and 125 in the next stage based on the feedback information and the allocated bandwidth. In addition, in order to enable other network devices (for example, the aggregate flow control devices 14, 16 and even further including the electronic devices 11, 13, 15) to understand the usage status of the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 of the aggregated flow control device 12, the aggregation is performed. The flow control device 12 also transmits a plurality of bandwidth allocation records through the transceiver interfaces 123 and 125, wherein each of the bandwidth allocation records indicates the allocated bandwidth assigned to the transceiver interfaces 123 and 125 by the processing unit 121.

[0031]

As can be seen from the above description, when the aggregated flow rate control device 12 wants to transmit a plurality of data streams to the aggregated flow rate control device 14, it is transmitted through a plurality of transmission and reception interfaces (ie, the transceiver interfaces 123, 125) connected to the aggregated flow rate control device 14. These data streams. The transceiver interfaces 123, 125 each transmit the data stream of the desired transmission with its allocated bandwidth. The aggregated flow control device 12 updates the allocated bandwidth used by each of the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 according to various feedback information. The transceiver interfaces 123, 125 then each transmit the data stream that has not been transmitted with the updated allocated bandwidth. In addition, each of the aggregated flow control devices 12 may further consider various factors when updating the allocated bandwidth used by each of the transceiver interfaces (eg, the difference between the current transmission level and the target transmission level, and the weight of each transceiver interface). Value, etc.) Determine the allocated bandwidth after the update. When the aggregated flow control devices 14, 16 are to transmit a plurality of data streams, the same operation mode can be adopted. In this way, the aggregated flow control devices 12, 14, 16 can provide network services in a manner more in line with user needs, and the network of the heterogeneous network system 1 can be applied more efficiently.

[0032]

Regarding the second embodiment of the present invention, please refer to FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B and FIG. The second embodiment is substantially identical to the operation of the first embodiment. The main difference between the two embodiments is that the aggregated flow control device 12 of the second embodiment needs to transmit the data flows included in the two network services to the aggregated flow control device 14. For convenience of explanation, the two network services are referred to as a first network service and a second network service, respectively. For example, this may occur when the electronic device 11 needs to provide the first network service and the second network service to the electronic device 13 through the aggregated flow control devices 12, 14. In addition, in the present embodiment, the aggregated flow control device 12 needs to provide the first network service to the aggregated flow control device 14 at a first target transmission level, and provides the second network service to the aggregation at the second target transmission level. Flow control device 14.

[0033]

A specific example will be explained. It is assumed that the present embodiment also divides the transmission level into a first level, a second level, and a third level, wherein the first level represents better than the average, the second level represents the average, and the third level represents the average. In addition, it is assumed that the first target transmission level is the first level and the second target transmission level is the second level.

[0034]

Figure 2 depicts the allocated bandwidth used by the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 at different stages (i.e., the allocated bandwidth used to transmit different data streams). In the first stage, the processing unit 121 separately specifies the allocated bandwidths of the transceiver interfaces 123 and 125 (for example, 10 Mbps and 10 Mbps, respectively) to transmit the data stream of the first network service, and separately designate the transceiver. The allocated bandwidth of the interfaces 123, 125 (for example, 20 Mbps and 20 Mbps, respectively) to transmit the data stream of the second network service. Then, the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 receive feedback information related to the first network service and the second network service from the aggregated flow control device 14. It is assumed that the processing unit 121 determines, according to the feedback information, that the current transmission level of the first network service is a third level (ie, below average), and the current transmission level of the second network service is the first level (also That is, above average. Since the current transmission level of the first network service is worse than the target transmission level, the processing unit 121 increases the allocated bandwidth when the first network service uses the transceiver interfaces 123 and 125 to transmit (for example, 15 Mbps and 20 Mbps, respectively). . In addition, since the current transmission level of the second network service is better than the target transmission level, the processing unit 121 reduces the allocated bandwidth when the second network service uses the transceiver interfaces 123 and 125 to transmit (for example, 10 Mbps and 15 Mbps, respectively). ).

[0035]

If the first network service or the second network service still needs to transmit the data stream, the aggregated flow control device 12 may repeat the foregoing operation to update the transceiver interface 123, 125 when transmitting the first network service and the second network service. The bandwidth is allocated until all data streams have been transmitted. According to the description of the first embodiment and the foregoing second embodiment, it should be understood that the aggregated flow rate control device 12 updates the allocated bandwidths, so it goes without saying.

[0036]

It should be noted that, since the aggregated flow control device 12 transmits data streams for a plurality of different network services, the sum of the allocated bandwidths corresponding to the transceiver interface 123 is not greater than the bandwidth of the transceiver interface 123 at any stage. The sum of the allocated bandwidths corresponding to the transceiver interface 125 is not greater than the bandwidth capacity of the transceiver interface 125. For example, if the bandwidth of the transceiver interface 123 is 30 Mbps, the aggregated traffic control device 12 specifies the sum of the allocated bandwidth of the first network service and the second network service at any stage. Cannot be greater than 30 Mbps. For example, if the bandwidth of the transceiver interface 125 is 40 Mbps, the aggregated traffic control device 12 specifies the transceiver interface 125 for transmitting the allocated bandwidth of the first network service and the second network service at any stage. The sum cannot be greater than 40 Mbps.

[0037]

In addition to the above operations, the second embodiment can perform all of the operations described in the first embodiment, have the same functions, and achieve the same technical effects. Those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can directly understand how the second embodiment performs the above operations based on the above-described first embodiment, has the same function, and achieves the same technical effects, and therefore will not be described again.

[0038]

As can be seen from the above description, when the aggregated flow rate control device 12 wants to transmit the data streams included in the plurality of network services to the aggregated flow rate control device 14, it also transmits and receives a plurality of transmission and reception interfaces (ie, transmitting and receiving) connected to the aggregated flow rate control device 14. The interfaces 123, 125) are configured to transmit the data streams included in the network services. For each network service, the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 each transmit the data stream of the desired transmission with its allocated bandwidth. The aggregated flow control device 12 updates the allocated bandwidth used by each of the transceiver interfaces 123, 125 for each network service according to various feedback information. The transceiver interfaces 123, 125 then respectively transmit the data streams included in the network services that have not been transmitted with the updated allocated bandwidth. The aggregated flow control devices 14, 16 can also operate in a similar manner. In this way, when there are multiple data flows included in the network service to be transmitted, the aggregated flow control devices 12, 14, 16 can also provide network services in a manner more suitable to the user's needs, and the heterogeneous network system The network of 1 can be applied more efficiently.

[0039]

A third embodiment of the present invention is a method of controlling a polymerization flow rate, the flow chart of which is depicted in Figure 3A. The aggregate flow control method is applicable to a network device of a heterogeneous network system (for example, any of the aggregated flow control devices 12, 14, 16 in the first embodiment). The network device includes a processing unit and a plurality of transceiver interfaces, and the network device needs to transmit at least one data stream of the network service.

[0040]

First, the aggregated flow control method performs step S31, and the processing unit specifies the allocated bandwidth used by each network service to transmit the data stream through each of the transceiver interfaces. Then, in step S33, the data transmission and transmission of one of the network services to the other network device is performed by the transceiver interfaces in the first stage. Then, step S35 is executed to receive at least one feedback information from the other network device by the transceiver interfaces. In this embodiment, the feedback information may include at least one sub-feedback information, each of the at least one sub-feedback information may be subjective feedback information or objective feedback information, and each of the at least one sub-feedback information may correspond to a weight value. For example, the subjective feedback information may include user rating information, and the objective feedback information may include an actual bandwidth consumption information, a packet loss rate, and/or a service quality assurance parameter. Then, in step S37, the processing unit re-designates the allocated bandwidth used by each network service to transmit the data stream through each transceiver interface according to the at least one feedback information. It should be noted that, in some implementations, step S37 may further determine the allocated bandwidth by referring to each of the at least one sub-feedback information and the corresponding weight value. Then, in step S39, another data stream of each network service is transmitted to the other network device by the transceiver interfaces in the next stage with the allocated bandwidth.

[0041]

In this embodiment, the aggregated flow control method repeatedly (for example, periodically) performs steps S35 to S39 to enable the network device to re-designate each network service to transmit and receive according to the latest feedback information. The allocation bandwidth used by the interface to transmit the data stream, and then the other transceivers transmit another data stream of each network service to the other network device in the next stage with the allocated bandwidth. However, it should be noted that the present invention does not limit the number of times the aggregation path selection method performs step S35 to step S39 as long as steps S35 to S39 are performed at least once.

[0042]

It should be noted that each of the transceiver masks has a bandwidth capacity. If the network device needs to transmit data streams of multiple network services, and the bandwidth of each transceiver interface is allocated to the data streams of different network services, the allocation bandwidth corresponding to each transceiver interface is used at each stage. The sum is not greater than its bandwidth capacity.

[0043]

It should be noted that in some embodiments, step S37 can be completed by the steps illustrated in FIG. 3B. Specifically, in step S371, the processing unit determines a current transmission level based on the feedback information. Then, according to the current transmission level and a target transmission level, the allocation bandwidth used by each network service to transmit the data stream through each transceiver interface in the next stage is determined. For example, in some embodiments, step S373 may be performed, and the processing unit enumerates a plurality of candidate allocation bandwidth combinations according to the current transmission level and the target transmission level. Then, step S375 may be performed, and the processing unit calculates a total estimated bandwidth allocation amount of each of the candidate allocated bandwidth combinations. It should be noted that in some embodiments, each transceiver interface corresponds to a weight value. In the embodiments, step S375 calculates an estimated bandwidth allocation total for each candidate allocation bandwidth combination based on the equal weight values. Then, step S377 may be performed to determine the allocated bandwidth of each of the transceiver interfaces in the next stage according to the candidate allocation bandwidth combination corresponding to the smallest of the estimated bandwidth allocations.

[0044]

It should be noted that, in other embodiments of the present invention, the aggregated flow control method may perform another step (not shown) to receive a plurality of bandwidth allocation records from other network devices by the transceiver interfaces. Each of the bandwidth allocation records records an allocated bandwidth, and each of the allocated bandwidths corresponds to one of the transceiver interfaces. In these embodiments, step S37 specifies the allocation bandwidth used by each transceiver interface in the next stage based on the feedback information and the allocated bandwidth. In addition, in another embodiment of the present invention, the aggregated flow control method may perform another step (not shown) to transmit a plurality of bandwidth allocation records by the transceiver interfaces, wherein each of the bandwidth allocation records records each transceiver interface. The allocated bandwidth. In this way, other network devices can also understand the bandwidth usage status of the transceiver interfaces.

[0045]

In addition to the above steps, the third embodiment can perform all the operations and steps described in the first and second embodiments, have the same functions, and achieve the same technical effects. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can directly understand how the third embodiment performs the operations and steps based on the first and second embodiments described above, and has the same functions, and achieves the same technical effects, and therefore will not be described. .

[0046]

The aggregate flow control method set forth in the third embodiment can be implemented by a computer program product having one of a plurality of instructions. Each computer program product can be a file that can be transmitted over the network, or can be stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. For each computer program product, after the instructions contained therein are loaded into a network device (eg, any of the aggregated flow control devices 12, 14, 16 of the first and second embodiments), the computer The program executes the aggregation path selection method as described in the third embodiment. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium can be an electronic product, such as a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a compact disk (compact disk; ), a flash drive, a magnetic tape, a database accessible by the network, or any other storage medium known to those of ordinary skill in the art having the same function.

[0047]

It should be noted that in the patent specification of the present invention, "first", "second" and "third" in the first level, the second level and the third level are only used to indicate that the levels are different levels. The "first" and "second" in the first network service and the second network service are only used to indicate that the network services are for different network services. The "first" and "second" in the first and second phases are only used to indicate that the phases are at different stages. The "first" and "second" of the first target transmission level and the second target transmission level are only used to indicate that the target transmission levels are different target transmission levels.

[0048]

As can be seen from the description of each of the above embodiments, the aggregate flow control device provided by the present invention has a plurality of transmission and reception interfaces. When the aggregated flow control device is to transmit a plurality of data streams included in a network service, the transceiver interfaces each transmit the data stream to be transmitted with its allocated bandwidth. The aggregated flow control device can update the allocated bandwidth used by each of the transceiver interfaces according to various feedback information, and then transmit the untransmitted data stream with the updated allocated bandwidth. When the aggregated flow control device updates the allocated bandwidth used by each of its transceiver interfaces, various factors can be considered (for example, the difference between the current transmission level and the target transmission level, the weight value of each transceiver interface, etc.) and then the updated allocation. bandwidth. When the aggregated flow control device needs to transmit the data stream contained in multiple network services, the foregoing operations are performed for each network service. In this way, the aggregated flow control mechanism provided by the present invention can provide network services in a manner more in line with user requirements, and the network of the heterogeneous network system can be applied more efficiently.

[0049]

The above-described embodiments are only intended to illustrate some of the embodiments of the present invention, and to illustrate the technical features of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope and scope of the present invention. Any changes or equivalents that can be easily accomplished by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains are intended to be within the scope of the invention, and the scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the claims.

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Claims (17)

A Rendezvous flow control device for a heterogeneous network system, comprising: a plurality of transceiver interfaces, wherein each of the transceiver interfaces is assigned a first allocated bandwidth, and the transceiver interfaces are in a first phase Transmitting, by the first allocated bandwidth, a first data stream of a first network service to a network device, and the transceiver interfaces receive a first feedback information from the network device; and a processing unit, Connected to the transceiver interfaces, and specify a second allocation bandwidth of each of the transceiver interfaces according to the first feedback information; wherein the transceiver interfaces transmit the second allocation bandwidth in a second phase The second data of the first network service flows to the network device; wherein the first feedback information includes at least one sub-feedback information, and each of the at least one sub-feedback information is a user rating information, and an actual bandwidth consumption ( Actual bandwidth consumption), one of a packet loss rate (PLR) and a quality of service (QoS) parameter, or a combination thereof, each of the at least one sub-feedback information To be a weight value. The aggregated flow control device of claim 1, wherein each of the transceiver interfaces is further assigned a third allocated bandwidth, and the transceiver interfaces transmit a second with the third allocated bandwidth in the first phase. The third data stream of the network service flows to the network device, and the transceiver interface receives a second feedback information from the network device, and the processing unit further specifies one of the transceiver interfaces according to the second feedback information. The bandwidth is allocated, and the transceivers transmit the fourth data stream of the second network service to the network device in the second phase with the fourth allocated bandwidth. The aggregate flow control device of claim 2, wherein each of the transceiver interfaces has a bandwidth of the bandwidth, the sum of the first allocated bandwidth and the third allocated bandwidth corresponding to each of the transceiver interfaces is not greater than the bandwidth, and the second allocated bandwidth corresponding to each of the transceiver interfaces and The sum of one of the fourth allocated bandwidths is not greater than the bandwidth capacity. The aggregate flow control device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit further determines a current transmission level according to the first feedback information, and the processing unit determines the second according to the current transmission level and a target transmission level. Allocate bandwidth. The aggregation flow control device of claim 4, wherein the processing unit enumerates a plurality of candidate allocation bandwidth combinations according to the current transmission level and the target transmission level, and the processing unit further calculates each candidate allocation frequency. One of the wide combinations predicts the total amount of bandwidth allocation, and the processing unit determines the second allocated bandwidth according to the candidate allocated bandwidth combination corresponding to the smallest of the estimated total bandwidth allocations. The aggregated flow control device of claim 5, wherein each of the transceiver interfaces corresponds to a weight value, and the processing unit calculates the estimated bandwidth allocation total of each candidate allocation bandwidth combination according to the weight values. The aggregate flow control device of claim 1, wherein the transceiver interfaces further transmit a plurality of bandwidth allocation records, each of the bandwidth allocation records recording one of the first allocation bandwidths. The aggregated flow control device of claim 1, wherein the transceiver interfaces further receive a plurality of bandwidth allocation records, each of the bandwidth allocation records recording an allocated bandwidth, and each of the allocated bandwidths corresponds to the transmitting and receiving One of the interfaces, the processing unit specifies a second allocation bandwidth of each of the transceiver interfaces according to the first feedback information and the allocated bandwidth. An aggregate flow control method is applicable to a first network device of a heterogeneous network system, where the first network device includes a plurality of transceiver interfaces, and each of the transceiver interfaces is assigned a first allocated bandwidth. The aggregated flow control method includes the following steps: (a) transmitting, by the first and second stages, a first data stream of the first network service to the second network device by the first and second allocation bandwidths; (b) receiving, by the transceiver interfaces, a first feedback information from the second network device; (c) specifying a second allocation bandwidth of each of the transceiver interfaces based on the first feedback information; and (d) And transmitting, by the second transceiver, the second data stream of the first network service to the second network device, wherein the first feedback information includes at least one sub-feedback information Each of the at least one sub-feedback information is one of a user rating information, an actual bandwidth consumption information, a packet loss rate, and a service quality assurance parameter, and each of the at least one sub-feedback information corresponds to a weight value. . The aggregation flow control method of claim 9, wherein each of the transceiver interfaces is further configured with a third allocation bandwidth, the aggregate flow control method further comprising the step of: using the transceiver interfaces in the first phase The third distribution bandwidth transmits a third data stream of the second network service to the network device; the second feedback information is received from the network device by the transceiver interface; and the second feedback information is specified according to the second feedback information a fourth allocation bandwidth of each of the transceiver interfaces; and transmitting, by the transceiver interfaces, the fourth allocation bandwidth in the second phase A fourth data of the second network service flows to the network device. The aggregation flow control method of claim 10, wherein each of the transceiver masks has a bandwidth capacity, and a sum of the first allocated bandwidth and the third allocated bandwidth corresponding to each of the transceiver interfaces is not greater than the frequency The sum of the second allocated bandwidth and the fourth allocated bandwidth corresponding to each of the transceiver interfaces is not greater than the bandwidth capacity. The aggregate flow control method according to claim 9, wherein the step (c) comprises the steps of: (c1) determining a current transmission level according to the first feedback information; and (c2) transmitting according to the current transmission level and a target. The level determines the second allocation bandwidth. The aggregation flow control method of claim 12, wherein the step (c2) comprises the steps of: enumerating a plurality of candidate allocation bandwidth combinations according to the current transmission level and the target transmission level; and calculating each candidate allocation bandwidth One of the combinations estimates the total amount of bandwidth allocation; and determines the second allocated bandwidth based on the candidate allocated bandwidth combination corresponding to the smallest of the estimated total bandwidth allocations. The aggregation flow control method of claim 13, wherein each of the transceiver interfaces corresponds to a weight value, and the total estimated bandwidth allocation of each candidate allocation bandwidth combination is calculated according to the weight values. The aggregated flow control method of claim 9, further comprising the step of: transmitting, by the transceiver interfaces, a plurality of bandwidth allocation records, wherein each of the bandwidth allocation records records one of the first allocated bandwidths. The aggregate flow control method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of: receiving, by the transceiver interfaces, a plurality of bandwidth allocation records, wherein each of the bandwidth allocation records records an allocated bandwidth, and each of the allocated frequencies The width corresponds to one of the transceiver interfaces. The step (c) specifies a second allocation bandwidth of each of the transceiver interfaces according to the first feedback information and the allocated bandwidth. A computer program product, after loading the computer program product through a first network device of a heterogeneous network system, the first electronic device executes a plurality of program instructions included in the computer program product to perform an aggregated traffic In the control method, the first network device includes a plurality of transceiver interfaces, each of the transceiver interfaces is assigned a first allocation bandwidth, and the aggregate flow control method includes the following steps: (a) the transceiver interface is configured Transmitting, by the first allocation bandwidth, a first data stream of a first network service to a second network device; and (b) receiving, by the transceiver interfaces, a first data from the second network device Retrieving information; (c) designating, according to the first feedback information, a second allocation bandwidth of each of the transceiver interfaces; and (d) transmitting, by the transceiver interfaces, the second allocation bandwidth in the second phase A second data stream of the network service flows to the second network device; wherein the first feedback information includes at least one sub-feedback information, and each of the at least one sub-feedback information is a user rating information, and an actual bandwidth consumption (actual ba The ndwidth consumption information, a packet loss rate (PLR), and a quality of service (QoS) parameter, or a combination thereof, each of the at least one sub-feedback information corresponding to a weight value.